Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest

Aaron Curry's name may not be recognizable to those outside of ACC country, but he has been the best player on one of the conference's best teams over the last few years. It sure did not take the 6-3 linebacker much time before he made his mark. In just the second game of his redshirt freshman year, Curry was inserted into the starting lineup and he has remained there ever since. As a freshman in 2005 he tallied 45 tackles. That number shot up to 83 during his sophomore campaign and 99 in 2007. It was also in 2007 when Curry returned three interceptions for touchdowns (which is really impressive for a linebacker). Curry is a big play linebacker and can deliver the big hit and cover a lot of ground. He is also extremely versatile and does a good job against both the run and the pass. The only negative to find with Curry is his awareness. There are times when he is out of position and makes mistakes. The hype might be low right now, but NFL scouts will not let Curry slip under the radar for too long. He has the tools and experience to be a first-round draft pick and that will not change between now and April. 11/11 Update: Curry continues to put up big numbers for Wake Forest. Through nine games he has 77 tackles, 11.5 tackles-for-loss, 1.5 sacks, three pass break-ups and one interception. Curry is the catalyst and the leader of the defense and if the Demon Deacons continue to be successful and slip into a BCS game, Curry will get the press he deserves. 12/25 Update: Curry ended his magnificent senior season with 105 tackles, 16 tackles-for-loss, 2.5 sacks and one interception -- and the country noticed his great production. Curry won the Butkus Award (honoring the nation's top linebacker) and was a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Award. He was also named a first-team All-American by just about everybody. As a result, Curry has rocketed up draft boards and could now be a top ten selection. He will need to put up some good numbers for the scouts between now and the draft to remain that high, but he will not drop too far either way. 2/11 Update: So far everything is looking good for Curry. His status as a top five draft pick is pretty solid, at least as solid as one can get at this point. Yet, barring a horrible showing at the combine or any unforeseen circumstances, Curry will not be waiting very long for his name to be called. 4/16 Update: Curry's reputation as the safest pick in the draft has not changed over the last month and will not change in the next week or so until the draft. However, that does not necessarily mean that he will be one of the top three players taken. If the Chiefs pass on him with the third selection, Curry could fall a few more spots.